About Us

About Us

Children-R-First is dedicated to helping early childhood teachers, parents and administrators provide a unified voice for young children. Our goal is to lead children to a secure future through parent & teacher education, as well as school readiness tutoring and enrichment programs.

Kristi Stilson

Kristi is the founder of Children-R-First. She received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education in 1998 and has worked extensively with a variety of programs across the U.S. serving teachers, young children, and their families for over 13 years. Kristi has been blessed with the opportunity to share her love of learning by serving as an Education Specialist, Outcomes Specialist, Preschool Director, and Mommy. She currently resides in Chesterfield, Virginia with her husband, Chuck, and their 4-year-old son, Blake.

Jo Bennett

Jo is a gifted educator. It’s been said that her heart is as big as the state she lives in. Everyone who meets her immediately understands why. Jo has over twenty years experience working with young learners. She offers an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm. During her tenure in the field of early childhood education, she has proudly held many distinguished positions as Teacher, Director and Mommy. Currently, she serves as the Director of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Preschool in Mansfield, TX where she resides with her husband, Chris, and two children, Alleigh & Kyle.

Read Aloud VA

Workshops

FREE Director’s Workshop

A FREE workshop for Directors and Owners of quality early childhood education programs.

Creating a Foundation for Early Literacy

Creating a Foundation for Early Literacy is part of the workshop series hosted by Hanover Rainbow Station and Children-R-First.

Testimonials

I have had the most incredible interactions with Kristi Stilson. Not only does she have incredible knowledge and experience with education, she is also a caring, kind and well-networked individual with an unparalleled drive and motivation. I’d recommend Kristi to any Richmond parent!

— K. Hall http://www.Richmondmom.com

Articles

Meet the Presenters for “Celebrating Our Children”

We are proud to introduce our presenters for the 2010-2011 "Celebrating Our Children" early workshop series, hosted by Hanover Rainbow Station &…

Children Are First at Maymont

When Kate Jarrell was growing up, she was afraid of snakes. We are sitting in the Discovery Classroom in Maymont's Nature Center as…